For instance, see this article JR
UT Southwestern is offering a new surgery to help people who suffer from migraine headaches.
A new surgery for migraine headache relief is being pioneered at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and the results thus far have been incredibly promising.
The news comes by way of a release from UT Southwestern, which tells the story of 18 year-old Meredith Messerli, whose prospects of being able to attend college were hampered by persistent, debilitating migraine headaches, which were so life-altering that the teen missed two years of high school as a result of her hypersensitivity to light and a headache that literally never went away. “Once I got a headache, it never went away,” Meredith explained in a recent interview. “Having a headache for that long changes your personality. You don’t want to talk to anyone. You don’t want to do anything.”
For years, Meredith and her family searched for medical answers to her severe migraines, which in themselves still remain a partial mystery to researchers. She and her family had consultations who tested her for a wide range of different causes and prescribed almost fifty different types of medicines. She was even admitted to the hospital several times for for weeks in order to receive D.H.E. 45 treatments, which is considered to be a last-resort medication prescribed for migraines. However, this past summer, Meredith underwent a novel procedure for migraines at UT Southwestern, which has since then relieved her never-ending headaches.
The procedure, known as nerve decompression surgery, has recently gained in popularity as an alternative therapy for chronic headache sufferers that has shown to offer migraine headache relief to those who have not been able to find relief elsewhere. The first stage of the procedure is a process for identifying the compressed nerves that are causing the migraine, usually through the use of Botox and nerve blocks. Once the problem areas have been identified, surgeons sever the tiny muscles and tissues that cause the compression of these nerves, thus relieving the pain once and for all.
Migraine surgery involves first identifying the compressed nerves through a clinical history and exam or use of Botox and nerve blocks. Then, the pressure causing the migraines is relieved by severing tiny muscles and other tissues pressing on and irritating these headache-trigger nerves.
Dr. Bardia Amirlak, an Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern who performed the surgery on Meredith, has quickly established himself as a leading pioneer of the surgery, having successfully performed more than 100 such procedures over the past two years. Dr. Amirlak has refined the surgery with his own method of using an endoscope to target smaller blood vessels, and as a result, has also improved on the procedure’s outcome. “This surgery is an option for patients with chronic headaches, nerve-compression headaches, occipital neuralgia, new daily persistent headaches, episodic migraines, and chronic migraines,” said Dr. Amirlak. “However, before considering surgery, all patients should first be evaluated by a neurologist and try medical management.”
From Dr. Amirlak’s own accounts, the surgery is quickly becoming a popular approach to migraine headache relief, thanks to its relatively high success rate: Amirlak reports that 60 percent of his patients get complete relief after the surgery, and for the remaining 40 percent, nearly 90 percent of those experience at least a 50 percent reduction in pain.
As a result, he is currently performing two to three migraine surgeries a week. “Patients are coming from all over the country as well as from other countries,” he said.
Of course, the surgery is not an option for everyone looking for relief from migraines, as the procedure is an invasive one. “Not all migraine sufferers are candidates. We must be careful selecting candidates for this type of surgery,” Dr. Amirlak. However, the doctor does believe that is a particularly well-suited surgery for young patients like Meredith who are otherwise healthy, but whose migraines are having major life-altering consequences. “I would rather operate on a young patient to prevent lifelong pain and suffering than to wait many years after their school, work, and social life has suffered. Here at UT Southwestern we are trying to establish standard protocols for migraine surgery in children,” he added.
Both Meredith and her family attest to Dr. Amirlak’s commitment to helping her get out of pain, and his expertise in the field of treating migraines. “He spent an hour talking to us. He seemed really passionate about helping people, and we felt we had a bond with him,” Meredith said, adding, “I wouldn’t be in college right now if not for Dr. Amirlak. I can do everything I used to do before. I’m excited to be myself again.”
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